Florida House of Representatives Committee Approves Armed Teachers Bill
The Florida House of Representatives K-12 Education Subcommittee approved a bill that will allow teachers to be armed, possibly becoming the tenth state to formally enact such a law.
Florida Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, first introduced the bill in 2013 soon after the Newtown, Conn., Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, said UPI.
The previous bill passed the Florida House of Representatives in 2014, but got stuck in the Senate, according to the Miami Herald. The current bill may undergo the same fate.
Florida Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, supported the bill.
"It would allow for a tremendous peace of mind for parents to know that there is somebody at the school site who is trained and can actually be there to respond if, God forbid, one of these events happened," he said.
States that have enacted laws allowing teachers to carry guns include Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. At least 33 states introduced more than 80 bills relating to arming teachers and school staff in 2013.
Colorado and Georgia passed similar legislation last year.
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